We’ve seen some of them during our travels, and some of us may cringe as we see them pass by. Why is it that the world over, people tend to make the same travel fashion faux pas? Regardless of their nationality, or the different vacation spots that people go to, I’ve seen a number of travel trends that make me question “why??” but here I give you my suggestions on how to turn those “wtf?” into “omg” style moments.

1) Fanny packs

I understand the need for these. Most people just like having everything on them whilst making sure their hands remain free to handle / shop/ give lewd gestures to ppl bothering them. So instead of wearing it CLEARLY as though you have just landed in the city/ country and have all your stash in there, why not take a cue from some of the designers and use a chic fanny pack instead?

The key difference here is balancing the proportion of the fanny pack (not too big and stuffed) and keeping the rest of the outfit sleek (no t-shirts + backpack + saggy jeans please)

2) Socks and sandals

I will put this simply as, I really don’t understand the trend. What statement are you trying to make? Its too hot so I can’t wear shoes, but too cold that I need to keep my feet warm? I’m worried about people stealing my shoes if I leave them outside a temple and I need to have socks on to walk inside the temple because omg it can be icky? Seriously, I don’t get it.

But for those who insist on wearing this though, perhaps you could style it up a notch by making sure that your socks and sandal of choice is appropriate. First thing’s first, no gym / sweat socks. That just makes it look ridiculously bad. Tights never hurt, or make it look deliberate by using colorful or patterned socks. As for the sandals, I’m sorry, but no socks could ever work with Birkenstocks. Your best bet is to go with something high heeled or wedged/ or with just a hint of toe (i.e. peep toes). And make sure you do showcase them. Otherwise it’s going to look like you just ran out of clean socks to wear.

p/s: It’s a hard trend to get right, so maybe stick to socks in your shoes if you’re not sure how to pull it off

3) Beer/slogan tank tops

You’ve seen them. Usually on college or twenty something year-olds walking around Thailand in these tops paired with a pair of short pants. And flip flops. And sunnies. You expect their conversation to only be along the lines of “brrroooooo last night’s party was SICK” or “dude, I can’t believe how cheap alcohol is here, and they don’t even care that I’m not 21”. Congratulations, you’re on your first few trips overseas. And you think to yourself, but these shirts are cool. And they’re sold everywhere, so it must mean locals wear them too. No, most of the time, they don’t. And most of the time, these shirts are built to cater to tourists,and tourists only.

(Ellie from ManilaStyleDistrict shows how you can dress it up easily – published with permission)

To step away from the stereotype, think about dressing up the tank tops as you would your sequin or dressy tops. Make it more formal by pairing it with a denim jacket or vest, and long pants or skirts rather than shorts. Add covered shoes or high heels and your previously beach only top can now be used as a fashionable travel statement as well. Keep it nice and sleek for a tailored casual look. Ellie shows us how easily you can take the casual slogan top into something classy and trendy.

4) Harem pants

I feel like you can always tell when a person is wearing harem pants if they’re either a tourist or a fashionista. The tourists can usually be distinguished by the fact that the harem pants are used just like a regular pair of pants, with a mish-mash of tops chosen to go over them and a random pair of sandals/ bag choices.

(the super drop crotch pants? Please just say no)

The fashionista on the other hand makes it look deliberate, and makes the pants the center of attention. Typically to make it look good, you should partner them up with sleek tops, shoes and handbags. No messy things hanging out everywhere everything. The baggy feel of the pants is distraction enough. And as always accessorize to keep it young and fresh. And when in doubt, get them as form fitting as possible vs. as loose as possible. And please, just say no to drop crotches that go to your knee and lower. You might as well be wearing a skirt.

(Pair it chic)

5) Khaki and white

These aren’t necessarily bad as they are just blah. Most of the time you see these on the older travelling crowd (which always makes me feel like they were living during the British colonial times) or otherwise this is the dress code most people expect to wear on an African safari. You’ve already nailed it with a crisp bottom and clean white top, what else could you do with them?

(White on khaki, khaki on white – same same)

Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize. You can turn it into a classic look by adding delicate gold bangles, or necklace or even a ring or two. Or you could youthify (is that a word?) it by adding neon neckaces nestled nicely between the folds of the collar. Look like another one of those older travelling people? I think not!

What do you think? would you try these amped up version of the travel trend ‘classics’? Sound off below!

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16 Comments

I feel like with all of these trends, styling them up to make them look decent would take up way too much room in my backpack or suitcase. In the end, these “travel” fashion faux pas can really only look decent when I’m at home, with access to my entire walk-in closet!

Hahah! Yes! I agree that some of them really should not see the light of day, but I guess you could always throw on at least a necklace for a quick and light fixer upper… though they still won’t distract from crazy drop crotch harem pants

Haha so true! I’ve witness each of these heinous crimes and shaken my head. It is so ridiculous that people feel the need to assume some sort of bizzare costume to travel – as if their travelling self is some sort of alter-ego. My personal favourite are the ones who wear hiking gear when playing tourist around a city – weatherproof jackets, backpacks, hiking shoes. It’s a tad hilarious.

Yes! yes! and yes! Especially for people travelling to Asia for the first time. I understand that it’s humid and you need some sweat wick clothes, but still, it’s a little overkill to look like you’re coming out of hunting in the jungle… in the middle of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Hilarious and true! Nothing screams “tourist” like a beer slogan t-shirt, fanny pack, and socks with sandals. It seems like these are often worn together. I’ve never understood the appeal of those drop crotch pants. They are so sloppy looking. They hurt my eyes.

When I see tourists dressed like this, I always think, “You know now that everyone is going to treat you like a tourist/an easy mark now, right?” Tourists in NYC and Paris seem to be the worst for this. It’s like drawing a giant sign on yourself to attract everyone selling keepsakes, running tours and more sketchily seperating tourists from their money. If you can pass for a local (or at least a saavy traveller) you face much less harassment.

That’s exactly my concern. I mean, I know some people like to take on a persona or really treat it like an ‘adventure’ but I really think the most important thing is to just be true to yourself, (while still respecting local culture) and hope that you don’t stand out too much

I don’t mind the harem pants, when worn right. I think the worst crime of it all is the fanny pack! I appreciate it can be comfy, but well, NO!
When I visit towns I try to look as normal as possible (well, as normal as I look at home, at least)
Great post